[tps_header]Each week we take a look back at the top performers in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league system from the previous week, highlighting the pitchers with the best Game Scores and the hitters with the most runs created. Below are the top five pitchers and hitters from last week, including stats and notes on each player.[/tps_header]
Zack Dodson, Altoona – 77 GS (5/15)
Line: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 0 HR
Notes: Dodson has had a fantastic start to the season, with a 2.17 ERA coming into this start, and a 1.75 ERA after the excellent outing. There was one disclaimer to his earlier success, and that was the lack of strikeouts. He had just eight strikeouts in his first 29 innings, but matched that total in this outing. He’s doing an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground, and getting efficient outs, all while limiting walks. If he can continue posting decent strikeout rates, then this combo will give him a shot of being a starter in the majors one day. Sean McCool had a breakdown of his start yesterday, looking at what went right from the strikeout standpoint.
